Sleeping on your stomach, tummy, belly, abdomen, gut, the front of your back, etc. is definitely comfortable
for sure, but it’s also not safe for your health, and sometimes – even dangerous.
And here are the reasons :
1: Doctors say that when sleeping on your tummy, the arteries near your backbone get constricted
because your head is turned to the side.
As a result, blood flow to the brain is restricted.
For people who have bad cholesterol and those whose arteries are potentially blocked with plaque,
this position can be harmful to them.
The brain can be left without oxygen altogether, and that’s why things get crazy.
It wouldn’t be this serious for everyone, but doctors are strict: they’d rather be on the safer side.
2: Another bad thing about sleeping on your belly is that your chest gets compressed, which
makes breathing less efficient.
You wouldn’t get enough oxygen throughout your body and would feel tired and groggy
in the morning. It’s hard to recharge the batteries after a night like that.
Also, the soft tissue in the chest area suffers from extra pressure, and with time can develop
congestion, mastitis, or cysts.
3: The stomach also suffers in this position.
The organs that lay around our stomach will stop doing their job effectively over time, and
it’s not a very good trade-off to sacrifice your health for the sake of your comfort.
Also, if you go to sleep in this position on a full stomach, you could develop acid
reflux, which is uncomfortable at best, and can lead to gastritis or an ulcer.
4: It affects your face.
When you wake up after sleeping a whole night on your tummy and look in the mirror… you
will see what I'm talking about.
All the creases on the bedsheet are imprinted on your cheeks and forehead.
When your face is pressed to the pillow for a whole night, blood circulation under the
skin gets worse, which leads to puffiness. People with oily faces can develop pimples and other skin disorders due to the fact that the skin is not breathing. You might assume it’s due to water retention, but the reason is much simpler – your body
position.
Stretching and pressure on the skin reduce its elasticity.
This issue doesn't only exist temporarily in the morning.
With time, wrinkles left from sleeping turn into permanent ones, especially on the cheeks
and around the nose.
You can also develop signs of aging in the neck and chest area, and they’re very hard
to get rid of. If you’re trying to avoid these lines, it’s best to sleep in a different position.
5: Having your neck fixed in the same unnatural position for a long time should be addressed
here too. In the area around the neck and shoulders, movement is restricted, and blood vessels
and nerve-endings are constricted, which can lead to irreparable damage.
Not to mention, you’ll most likely wake up with a stiff and sore neck no matter what.
Having the correct support is important; so no matter what position you’re lying in,
pick a pillow that keeps your neck in a natural position.
6: In this position, you can cause the joints of knees, elbows, and feet to twist in awkward
ways, causing strain and soreness.
7: If that's still not enough, the backbone will also suffer when you sleep on your belly.
It's an unnatural position for your spine, putting too much pressure on the middle of
your back and causing it to be stiff and achy in the morning.
In the long term, the muscles around the backbone can even become shorter.
8: If a person has problems with their heart, sleeping on their stomach adds extra stress
on it, causing an excessive heart rate and a rise in arterial pressure.
On the other hand, there are some cases when sleeping on your stomach can be good for your
health.
In newborns, this position releases cramps.
A lot of babies love to sleep on their belly, and the reason for it is that they feel more
secure.
Also, babies should never sleep on their stomachs with a pillow.
But, most pediatricians advise that if they’re younger than 1 year old, they should sleep
on their back or side.
People who have kidney diseases might also feel better sleeping on their abdomen.
When we lie on our stomachs, there's no pressure on the kidneys, allowing them to flush out
and work easily.
Sometimes it can be good to lie on your tummy if your back or shoulders are tired after
sitting in front of a computer with bad posture.
But it’s enough to lie down for a while and have a rest.
Maybe after that, you can switch to a different position for the rest of the night to avoid
some of the issues I mentioned earlier.
Ok, so we’ve established that most of the time, sleeping on your stomach isn't the best
for us.
But how on earth is it possible to kick this habit, if you’re not used to falling asleep
any other way?
Now, what about choosing the position that suits your body best?
Sleeping on your back with your feet on a pillow is best if you have problems with your
backbone.
It’s also the best beauty sleep: fewer wrinkles appear and your face won’t be as puffy.
But it doesn’t work well for people who snore: snoring gets worse when you’re on
your back, and you can feel short of breath.
Sleeping on your left side lessens the symptoms of reflux; you’ll feel less nausea, and
less discomfort.
Some doctors also believe that it helps to shed weight at night too.
The embryo pose, with your knees, pulled to your chest and your head pulled to your knees,
is good for breathing and spine flexibility, but at the same time is bad for your neck.
It would be bent for too long.
Sleeping on the right side is good for blood pressure and lowers the risk of Alzheimer,
but is strictly forbidden for pregnant women in the 3rd trimester, because it can lead to
problems with the development of the fetus.
You can figure out what would be the best sleeping position for you by understanding
what your body needs the most.
But in the case of particular health problems, consult your doctor, who can advise you on
the best way for you to sleep healthy.
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